3D Printing in Graphispag

From 26 to 29 March, Graphispag will incorporate new spaces and activities to make the latest print, design and visual communication known in an interactive and experiential way.

The emblematic graphic salon of Fira de Barcelona, ​​a reference in its sector in Spain, reinforces its training program and demonstrations so that prescribers and buyers of all types of printed products can discover the creative possibilities and the added value that the graphic industry offers today, as well as its complementarity and connection with other forms of digital communication, as 3D Printing.

Organized by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with Graphispack Association, Graphispag 2019 plans to gather 200 direct exhibitors and occupy 9.000 m2 in Pavilion 2 of the Gran Via exhibition center. The hall expects the representation of more than 380 brands. With a strong sectorial support and a 75% loyalty percentage, Graphispag is claimed as the Spanish fair that integrates all forms of printing: traditional, current, and also the most advanced that open new business models to the sector of graphic arts, including 3D Printing.

In the commercial exhibition area, the participating firms will present innovations in equipment, technology, supports, consumables and finishes and will show samples of printed products that can be manufactured with it. There will also be companies of 3D printing and functional printing.

New activities

In this edition, Graphispag launches different areas of activities designed to promote networking, the exchange of knowledge and surprise visitors with graphic applications and innovative technologies like 3D Printing.

One of the novelties is the Graphispag Experience space, which is a must because it will welcome the visitor, and in which they will be able to see, touch and interact with different techniques that evoke the past, place the present and advance the future of visual communication.

For example, there will be a working reproduction of the Gutenberg printing press, hand-lettering demonstrations and handwriting calligraphy sessions, creation of neon signs, but also examples of 3D and virtual reality in a virtual experience designed for interior designers; light and flexible papers and supports that light up and can be integrated into advertisements, packaging or publications; conductive inks; interactive video mappings to cover floors and walls. All this in a space set with all types of surfaces and printed objects.

Another of the attractions of this edition will be the Graphispag Process area, where the equipment and machinery needed to start up two production lines will be in operation: one for packaging printing and another for large format printing. Several exhibiting brands have supplied the equipment to see the complete process from the design to the final product in the different phases of the graphic chain.

For its part, advanced printing will find its place in Graphispag PrintInnovation, an area coordinated by the 3Neo Platform in which there will be demonstrations of functional printing, printed electronics, bioprinting and 3D Printing. There will also be talks and presentations and companies that are using these technologies in their activity will be contacted by professionals interested in implementing them in sectors such as packaging and visual communication.

Conferences and workshops

Within the Graphispag Talks program, some 50 conferences and round tables will be held with the participation of experts and companies supplying both machinery and supports, graphic services or users of printed products.

We will talk about technology and new developments, packaging, color and inks, sustainability, large format 3D Printing as well as business models and growth opportunities.

For its part, Graphispag Village will be the space for networking aimed at different professionals in the graphic chain and will allow to find partners, collaborators or, simply, expand the network of contacts in the field of graphic and visual communication.

It will also host meetings between manufacturers, printers with specific investment projects, prescribers and final customers from different demand sectors directly invited by the organization through its buyers program.

The graphic industry in Spain

According to data from the INE, the graphic sector in Spain is made up of 15.674 companies that employ 93.000 people and invoice just over 14.000 million euros.

Since 2016, the sector shows a rebound in its turnover driven by the activities related to the printing of packaging and labels, and an improvement in the demand for catalogs and advertising print and the publishing industry.

However, the graphic sector continues in full transformation and bets to grow in value with its products, adding to its business new applications like 3D Printing, that go beyond paper to print any support or material in a personalized way promoting graphic and visual communication.